Combined throttle and automatic stop-valve.



A. W. LENDEROTH.

COMBINED THROTTLE AND AUTOMATIC STOP VALVE.

Patented July 11, 1911.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. D. d.

%TAT% PTENT FFlltGltl.

COMBINED THROTTLE AND AUTOMATIC STOP-VALVE.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ARNOLD W. LENDE- ROTI-I, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Stapleton, in the county of Richmond and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CombinedThrottle and Automatic Stop- Valves, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to throttle and emergency stop-valve devicesprincipally intended for protecting steam engines against over-speedingin case of governor failure, etc., but also adapted for gas-engine,water, ammonia and other conduits. The large variety of such appliancesdevised and in use indicates that no one type has hitherto provenpreeminently superior.

It is however the object of my invention to provide a simple form ofcombined throttle and automatic stop valve which shall in a largermeasure than heretofore fulfil the requisites of satisfactory service,durability, low cost, and adaptability to different conditions of use.

The automatic action of this class of appliances is usually controlledfrom a distant point through electro-magnetic agency, and such devicesdivide themselves roughly into those in which the operating force ismechanical, as of a weight or spring released by a magnet to close anordinary throttlevalve by tur ing its screw-stem; and those in which theoperating force is furnished by fluid-pressure acting on a pistonattached to the stop-valve and controlled by one or more pilot valveswhich in turn may be controlled by a magnet.

Mechanical stops, while hitherto somewhat complicated and slow inaction, have been considered more reliable than others since theiraction is more nearly independent of pressure variations and they arenot subject to sticking, piston leakage, wiredrawing and other defectsof the pressure type. It is obviously of the utmost importance that thestop device shall be certain of operation when called upon, since thesafety of property and life often depend upon its proper action in anemergency. It is further desirable in a steam-engine stop that after ashut-down of the automatic valve, it shall be difiicult or impossiblefor the engineer to carelessly reset the latter and suddenly admit afull head of steam to the engine before it has gathered speed.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 19, 1810.

Patented July 11, 19.11.

Serial No. 593,137.

In my present invention a mechanical closing force is applied in a noveland simple manner involving even greater certainty and celerity ofclosure than other mechanical stops, and I insure against prematureresetting of the automatic valve, by making the effective seatingpressure on said valve, when so disposed as to close with the steamflow, dependent upon the position of the main throttle-valve. Myinvention may however be used with a normal flow in the reversedirection under some conditions, as in an ammonia line where thepressures are con'iparatively low, in which situation the automaticvalve after its closure acts as a safety release for accumulatedpressure.

Of the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment ofmy in vention, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of theapparatus. Fig. 2 represents a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 represents a side elevation on a reduced scale, showing theweight and parts of the trip mechanism.

In the drawings, 10 indicates a valve casing formed with in et andoutlet chambers 11, 12 connected by a port or passage 45 in a dividingpartition 13, said port having valve seats 14:, 15 at its opposite ends.

16 is an automatic stopvalve cooperating with the valve seat 1st, and 17is a main throttle valve cooperating with the seat 15 and swiveled upona valve stem 18 so as to be positively moved with the latter in eitherdirection. 19 is a hand-wheel on the outer end of said stem and 20 isthe usual screw thread on said stem working in a complemental thread ina yoke 21 on the removable casing head 22 through which the valve stempasses.

23 is the stem of the automatic valve having an extension 2% on itsinner end sliding in a guiding aperture 25 in the valve stem 18. Theouter end of stem 23 slides in a guiding aperture 26 of the removablecasing head 27 which carries the controlling devices for the automaticvalve. Said casing head is recessed as shown to form an eX tension ofthe inlet chamber 11, the construction here provided being especiallyadapted for the case in which inlet and outlet branches are in line witheach other.

The square body of valve-stem 23 is straddled by a forked arm 28 mountedon a rock-shaft 29 and inserted between the projecting ends of a pair ofstuds 30 on said stem, whereby the stem 23 and valve 16 are positivelymoved in either direction when shaft 29 is oscillated. The arm 28 standsvertical when 'alve 16 is fully opened and it will be noted that itslower end is hooked outwardly so as to preserve an even width of saidarm between the studs in all positions of the valve, this shape alsofacilitating the assembly of the valve-stem 23 with the fork 28 by alongitudinal movement of said stem accompanied by partial rotation ofthe shaft 29.

Rock-shaft 29 passes through a stufiing box 46 on the head 27 andcarries on its outer end a trip or catch arm 31, and a weight arm 32carrying a weight 33 (for which a spring would be equivalent) which actsin a direction to close the valve 16. Normally however said valve isheld open by the engagement of arm 31 with a catch roller 34 on an arm35 which is attached to a rock-shaft 36, the latter also carrying alatch arm 37 adapted to be engaged by the upper end of a pivotedlatch-lever 41 whose lower end is attached to the armature 42 of anelectromagnet 43, the latter and the latch members being inclosed in acasing 44. A spring 38 and rod 39 normally hold the latch-arm 37 againstan abutment 40, and when in this position the corner of trip arm 31engages the roller 34 on a line of thrust such that when the magnet 43attracts its armature to release the arm 37 from latchlever 41, the arms35 and 37 will be dis placed against the spring 38 and weight 33 willclose the valve 16. Anyother suitable form of trip mechanism may be usedand it will be understood that magnet 43 is under control from a distantpoint by means of push buttons or engine-speed devices in the usualmanner.

This apparatus will ordinarily be placed in a steam line with the flowin the direction of the arrows in Fig. 1, so that valve 16 when releasedtends to close with the flow. Valve 17 is manually operated by means ofits hand-wheel 19 after the manner of an ordinary throttle, and isadapted to perform all of the functions of the latter as well as theadditional function which I shall now describe. Supposing both valves tobe open, if now the magnet 23 be energized it will actuate the tripmechanism to release the arm 31-and allow weight 33 to close valve 16 asdescribed. The final closure of the valve will be somewhat acceleratedby the pressure of the steam behind it, and in the larger sizes of thesevalves a dashpot may be provided to cushion the closin action, as willbe readily understood without illustration. When the valve 16 is onceclosed the pressure in the inlet chamber 11 will make it difiicult orimpossible to reopen the valve manually so long as the mainthrottlevalve 17 remains open. Hence the automatic valve cannot becarelessly reset with the effect of suddenly admitting a full head ofsteam to the engine. But when valve 17 has been closed, the slightleakage which occurs between valve 16 and its seat 14 soon causes asuflicient pressure to accumulate in the passage or chamber 45 betweenthe two valves to balance the valve 16, and thereupon the latter may beeasily opened and reset under the .control of the trip mechanism bymanipulating the weight lever 32. Steam can then be gradually admittedto the engine without damage when the latter is in condition to receiveit, by slowly opening the valve 17. The balancing of valve 16 in themanner described may be accelerated by providing more than the normalleakage in any suitable manner, as by merely machining but not grindingthe meeting surfaces of the valve and its seat.

For use with water or other liquids, and in gas-engine supply-pipes andvarious other situations, this valve Will operate satisfactorily and isobviously independent of fluid pressure forces for effecting automaticclosure. In ammonia gas or other compressordelivery lines where thepressure is comparatively low, I prefer to close the valve 16 againstthe pressure, a sufficient weight be ing applied to the arm 32 for thatpurpose, as under such circumstances the valve 16 may act as anautomatic loaded relief-valve to prevent the accumulation of anexcessive pressure due to the continued operation or momentum of thecompressor after the automatic valve has closed. Under suchcircumstances and in fact for use as a throttle in most situations; itis obviously desirable that the valve 17 shall be positively movable byits screw-stem in both directions.

It will be noted that there is only one packed bearing in theconnections of the automatic valve, namely that of the rock-shaft 29,and as this is a rotary, as distinguished from a sliding, shaft or stem,and subject to forces which act on it With considerable leverage, thereis no danger of failure of the automatic valve through too tight anadjustment of the packing.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide independent signal-diskvalves closing in opposite directions at the two ends of a partitionport, such an arrangement having been proposed in automatic cut-out ornon-return devices where the respective valves are closed in eitherdirection by a rush of steam or diminution of pressure caused byfracture of the pipe. But such valves have to be normally biased to openby Weight or pressure, are delicate in action, and subject in greater orless degree according to their design, to the defects common topressure-operated valves.

I claim,

1. A combined throttle and emergency stop valve device comprising acasing having inlet and outlet chambers and a connecting port orpassage,an automatic valve in one of said chambers mechanically biased to closeone end of said port, catch mechanism for holding said valve in an openposition, an independently-movable throttle valve in the other chambercontrolling the opposite end of said port, and means for manuallyoperating said throttle-valve.

2. Throttle and emergency valve apparatus comprising a casing havinginlet and outlet chambers connected by a port or passage, an unbalanceddisk valve in said inlet chamber, a weight yieldingly impelling saidvalve to close one end of said port, catch-mechanism for holding saidvalve in an open position, a screw stem provided with an external manualoperating device, and a throttle valve mounted on said stem in theoutlet chamber and adapted to be positively moved by the stemindependently of the first-said valve to open and close the opposite endof said port.

3. Throttle and emergency valve apparatus comprising a casing havinginlet and outlet chambers connected by a port or passage, a disk valvecontrolling one end of said port and having a stem slidingly supportedin said inlet chamber, a rock-shaft journaled in the wall of saidchamber and internally connected to operate said valve in bothdirections, an external weight carried by said rock-shaft and tending toclose said valve, external catch mechanism coacting with said shaft tohold the valve open, and an independently-movable throttle-valvecont-rolling the opposite end of said port and having external manualoperating means at the opposite side of the casing from said rock-shaft.

4:. Throttle and emergency stop-valve apparatus comprising a casinghaving inlet and outlet chambers connected by a port, a separate head onthe inlet side recessed to provide an extension of the inlet chamber andalso formed with a valve-stem guide, a separate head on the outlet side,a screw stem engaged with the latter head, a throttlevalve on said stemcontrolling one end of said port, an automatic valve in the inletchamber controlling the opposite end of said port and having a stem theouter end of which is mounted in said guide and the inner end guided onsaid throttle-valve stem, a rock-shaft having an arm adapted to beassembled with the automatic valve-stem by an outward longitudinalmovement of the lat ter accompanied by a rotary movement of said shaft,a weight connected with said shaft and biasing the automatic valvetoward a closed position, and catch-mechanism coacting with said shaftfor holding the automatic valve open.

5. Throttle and emergency valve apparatus comprising a casing havinginlet and outlet chambers connected by a port, a throttle valvecontrolling the outlet end of said port and having external operatingmeans, an automatic stop valve controlling the inlet end of said portand having a squared stem provided with two studs projecting on eachside thereof, a rock-shaft on said casing having an arm with a forkedend mounted between said studs and hooked outwardly, an external weighton said shaft yieldingly impelling said automatic valve to a closedposition, and catch mechanism controlling said shaft for holding theautomatic valve open.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, this 18th day of November 1910.

ARNOLD W. LENDEROTH.

Witnesses:

R. M. PIERSON, EDWARD E. BLACK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

